Ann Hood

The painful and courageous journey toward adoption made by several of her clients forces Maya Lange, founder of The Red Thread, an adoption agency that specializes in placing baby girls from China with American families, to confront the lost daughter of her past.

In a collection of personal essays-- each accompanied by a recipe (or two)-- Hood describes her Italian American childhood, detailing how the kitchen became the heart of her own home. Tracking her lifelong journey in the kitchen, she spills tales of loss and starting from scratch, family love and feasts with friends, and how the perfect meal is one that tastes like home. -- adapted from jacket.

Reveals the personal stories behind the author's written works, describing her early years in a Rhode Island mill town and the books that shaped her love of literature, her political views, and her travel ambitions. "Growing up in a mill town in Rhode Island, in a household that didn't foster a love of literature, Ann Hood discovered nonetheless the companionship of books. She learned to channel her imagination, ambitions, and curiosity by devouring...

"The rhythm, ritual, and pleasure of knitting are celebrated in this new collection for lovers of both knitting and literature. In [this book], two dozen writers write about the transformative and healing powers of knitting. Lily King remembers the year her family lived in Italy, and a knitted hat that helped her daughter adjust to her new home. Laura Lippman explores how converting to Judaism changed not only Christmas but also her mother's gift...

In this beloved and critically acclaimed first novel, Hood's clear, penetrating voice captures the spirit of three friends struggling to resolve their lives in a complicated time warp called lost youth.

Ann Hood reflects on her family's struggle to overcome their grief after the death of her five-year-old daughter, Grace, sharing the words, lessons, and actions that helped her begin to heal and move on with life.

After her father leaves and marries the glamorous Ava Pomme, Madeline blames her mother for their difficult new life, but in spite of the twelve-year-old's efforts to achieve sainthood, it takes a summer trip to Italy to put her family into perspective.

"When Felix gets a crush on his friend Lily, who was adopted from China as a baby, he decides to try to take her back in time to learn more about China. After being caught by Maisie, the twins find themselves transported to a small village on the Yangtze River, leaving Lily behind in the present. In China, the twins meet Pearl Buck in the days just before the Boxer Rebellion. With bandits chasing them, they flee to safety in Shanghai. The twins return...